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that point, the water's released, and it flows down the pipes, driving turbines at the bottom which
generate electricity. Obviously, the station can only run for a fairly short period, but it’s
sufficient to cover the peak in demand. Then, as soon as there's a dip in demand, the water can
be pumped back up and held ready for use again. So the effect is to smooth out fluctuations in
the output of the main power stations. Some of the main stations’ spare capacity is used when
there would be a trough in the demand curve, at night. The peak daytime generating capacity of
those main stations can also be lower because the pumped storage stations are there to back
them up when there are blips in the demand curve.

c Prepare a short talk on the operation of a pumped storage hydroelectric power station
for visitors to the power generation company. Use your notes from Exercise 10b and the
words in the box. Student A, you are an electrical engineer; Student B, you are a visitor on
a tour of the plant. In pairs, give your talk and ask and answer questions. Swap roles and
practise again.
gravity; high level; low level; mountain; pumps; reservoir; turbines;

IV Giving approximate figures

11a Read the email extract and answer the following questions.
1 Who do you think sent the email? What is their role within the
company?
2 What type of review is the company going to undertake?
3 What is the objective of the review?

To: Gerry Klein
Subject: internal review
Dear colleagues,
As you know, we are preparing to undertake a comprehensive internal review of the company’s
organisation and facilities. A key area of this review will be to assess how efficiently your
engineering expertise is being utilised. I would emphasise that the aim of this assessment is not
to question your professional competence. On the contrary, I and the company's new
shareholders recognise the high degree of technical expertise within the organisation. Our
intention is to work towards optimising this valuable resource by identifying the demands on
your time that are largely unproductive (such as administrative tasks) in order to allow your
skills to be used more productively.

b The following extract is from a questionnaire used in the review which was sent to staff in
the company’s design department. Read the questionnaire and match each question (1-3) to
points (a-c).
Approximately what percentage of your time do you spend on the types of task below? For
each question, the sum of values given for A + B should equal 100%.
1 A Doing technical tasks that use my engineering skills extensively %
B Doing moderately technical tasks that a less qualified colleague could do %
2 A Doing technical tasks that add value (e.g. designing, problem-solving) %
B Doing tasks that do not add value (e.g. administration) %
3 A Doing tasks that are purely technical %
B Doing tasks that relate to technical organization and decision-making %

a The extent of technical role versus management role
b The degree of commercial exploitation of technical skills

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